100 Small Talk Questions and Answers - Real English Conversation

hello lovely students and welcome back to English with Lucy so many of my students want to improve their conversation skills but sometimes it can be really hard to think of the right question to say and it's even harder to think of a good response to keep conversation going if you want to keep a conversation going it's really important that you ask open-ended questions this is a key part of small talk I really want to help you practice so today I have got 100 open-ended Small Talk questions open-ended questions are questions that people cannot reply yes or no to they have to say more than that I am going to be asked these 100 questions and I'm going to give you genuine answers so you can learn from me and to help you even further I have created an ebook for this lesson that you you can download for free it contains all 100 questions it contains the Full transcript of my answers with key vocabulary and a quiz it is the ultimate Small Talk conversation ebook if you would like to download my free small talk conversation ebook all you've got to do is click on the link in the description box you enter your name and your email address you sign up to my mailing list and the ebook will arrive directly in your email inbox after that you will automatically receive all of my free PDFs and lessons along with my news updates and offers right let's get started with the small talk questions I'm already nervous first topic General Small Talk questions question one how was your day today it's been pretty busy but I've had a good day thanks two what did you do last weekend last weekend I visited my family in bedfordshire and we celebrated my brother's birthday three what hobbies or interests do you have outside of work I really like running and I've just bought a treadmill so I'm enjoying using that 4. have you watched any interesting movies or TV shows recently I've really been enjoying watching The White Lotus it's quite relaxing because it's set in a holiday destination five what type of music do you enjoy listening to I I honestly don't listen to a lot of music but I do really like Taylor Swift she always makes me smile six do you have any pets and what's unique about them oh good question I have a dog and a cat and what's unique about them is they have Spanish names because I love Spain Diego the dog and Alfonso the cat seven what's your favorite thing about the current season oh we're coming into spring and I love seeing all of the bulbs that I've planted in my garden start to peek up and show their petals eight what's the most recent book you've read that you've enjoyed my brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante an Italian author I read it in English but my goal is to read it in Italian nine what's your favorite type of Cuisine to eat and why oh that's hard I love so many different types of Cuisine I love Lebanese food anything that involves fresh fruits and vegetables 10. do you prefer living in a city or a rural area and why I I absolutely prefer to live in a rural area because I find nature so relaxing although I do miss the conveniences of living in a city second topic work and career Small Talk questions question 11 what do you do for work and what's one thing you enjoy about it I run an education company so when I'm not on YouTube I'm making my English courses my online English courses and my favorite part of the job is receiving feedback from my students who have taken the courses 12.

how did you get started in your line of work it all started with this YouTube channel here in 2019 and then slowly it grew into something a little bit bigger 13. what project are you currently working on we are currently working on a huge project which is our C1 level course our Advanced English course it's going to be amazing it's going to come out in May um so if you're watching this in the future check the description box I will leave a link and if you are interested I have left the waiting list so you'll be the first to know 14. what do you think the future of your industry looks like I think it has a lot more artificial intelligence involved 15.

what's one thing you've learned recently that's helped you in your job I have learned to listen carefully to criticism but to not take it all to Heart 16. what's the best professional advice you've ever received well it's not the most impressive amazing mind-blowing piece of advice ever but when my YouTube channel was starting to take off I was starting to make a little bit of income I asked my dad if I should do it or if I should continue with my planned career path and he said give it a go do it for two years if it doesn't work you'll only be 23 or you've lost is a little bit of time it ended up being the best piece of advice I've ever followed 17. what do you think sets successful people apart in your field I think they are excited about what they do and what they create 18.

what's one challenge you've faced at work and how did you overcome it one thing I found really difficult is managing a team of people that's not ever something I thought thought I was going to be doing and I've been trying to overcome it I'm still learning recently I have opened my calendar so that at the beginning of every month everyone who works for me can check in for a 20-minute chat we start this next week so I hope that will help me be more in touch with my employees 19. do you have any career goals you're working towards I would say more of a lifestyle goal I would like to not have to work all the time whilst my children are young I am not expecting children at the moment but I would like to have them in the future 20. have you ever had an interesting work experience or job I worked in a juice bar for a number of years and I learned a lot about fruits and I love fruits that was great for me third topic travel Small Talk questions question 21 have you traveled anywhere recently and where did you go most recently we visited Thailand and we went to Phuket Phuket Koya noi was beautiful 22.

what's your favorite place you've ever visited and why that would have to be Seville I totally fell in love with the city and its culture and its people 23. where would you like to go on your next trip we really would like to go to Vietnam I am desperate to try fur I think it's called the bone broth soup and with noodles fur and I just I just really am desperate to see that country 24. do you prefer relaxing Vacations or Adventure trips and why I like to have a good balance I do need to get the relaxation out of my system I need to read a book I need to lie in the shade I need to swim but I go a bit stale If I Stay relaxing for too long I need to do things and see things 25.

what's one unique or exotic food you've tried while traveling most recently mangosteen fruit my mind it was so delicious I wish I could eat it every day 26. what's the craziest or most memorable thing you've done on vacation I would say climbing to the top of lion's head in Cape Town at Sunrise that was absolutely beautiful 27. what's your favorite way to travel in style 28.

do you prefer traveling alone or with others always with my husband well my husband was a farmer and now he works with me travel a lot alone and I used to think damn it he would love to see this I always used to feel so sad that he couldn't come with me so now it's such a pleasure to travel together 29. have you ever had a negative travel experience and how did you handle it yes I once turned up at a supposedly five-star hotel that was nothing like the photos and I very calmly explained that I was going to move to another hotel and I'd like a refund and luckily they did comply 30. what's one cultural experience you've had while traveling that you'll never forget in Seville it's it's just this incredible party with striped Marquees everywhere everyone wears Flamenco dresses I can't wait to go back fourth topic hobbies and interests Small Talk questions question 31 what's one hobby or interest you're passionate about exercise it just makes me feel so good 32.

what's the most recent hobby or interest you've taken up I would say lion with my tutor Elite who is amazing I found on langua talk which is a platform that I'm a part of you can find your own tutor for the language you're learning there's a link down below 33. do you have any hidden talents that people might not know about I can play the violin and I'm also really flexible 34. what's one thing you've learned recently that relates to your hobby or interest I've learned to speak Italian a little bit 35.

have you ever taken a class or Workshop related to your hobby or interest oh well a workshop I took recently was a jewelry making Workshop where I learned to make a silver bangle and that was great fun 36. what's the most adventurous or daring thing you've done related to your hobby or interest well to do with language learning I think going to Spain at the age of 16 17 and spending a week there immersing myself in the language was quite daring I spent ages saving up for the language course myself and it was fantastic and the start of my language teaching career basically 37 what's one thing you like to learn or accomplish related to your hobby or interest well if we're going to talk about language I'm learning that gives me a lot of satisfaction 38. do you prefer indoor or outdoor activities and why well it's hard to say if the weather's good outdoor 100 but I'm English I live in England so I've just bought a treadmill to run indoors 39.

what's one activity or interest you'd like to try in the future what do I want to do I don't know golf no oh I don't know why but I really want to try archery 40. what's the most interesting thing you've learned unrelated to work or school um how to run a business fifth topic food and drink Small Talk questions question 41 what's your favorite type of food and why fruit because it's so refreshing it tastes amazing and it makes me feel good 42. do you enjoy cooking and what's your favorite dish to prepare I love cooking and my go-to dish is actually normally a risotto I can whip up a good risotto with very few ingredients in my fridge 43.

what's one unique or exotic food you've tried and enjoyed well in Thailand we actually went on a cookery course and we learned to make Pad Thai and mango sticky rice and green Thai curry and that was amazing 44. do you have any dietary restrictions and how do you manage them I don't I'm very very lucky to have no dietary restrictions so I don't need to manage them 35. what's your favorite restaurant or Cafe and what do you like about it I I love a good local pub we've got some great ones around us for me the best part is on a sunny day and unexpectedly sunny day in England sitting outside in a pub Garden 46.

what's one dish or Cuisine you've been wanting to try but haven't yet Vietnamese food I need to try fur 47. what's your favorite type of alcohol or non-alcoholic beverage I really like wine and gin for alcohol non-alcoholic I love fresh fruit juice fresh fruit and vegetable juice 48. do you prefer sweet or savory foods and why definitely Savory sometimes sweet foods can be overpowering and also because we eat them at the end of the meal I often don't have room I'm not very good at managing my appetite 49.

what's one food or drink you've tried that you didn't like for me it's anything that is really really spicy I can handle spice but not obnoxious levels of spice not not the level that hurts your tongue 50. have you ever tried cooking a new dish and how did it turn out I tried cooking pierogi I think they're called potato dumplings that you often find in Ukrainian and polish Cuisines and they went okay I found them delicious but when I showed my polish friend she said I'd done them wrong sixth topic family and relationships Small Talk questions question 51 do you have any siblings and what's your relationship with them like I do I have a younger brother called George he's four and a half years younger than me and we have a fantastic relationship I consider him a good friend 52. what's your family like and what do you enjoy most about spending time with them my family is small my mum my dad my brother my husband and me and what I love about spending time with them is that we just do not stop laughing 53.

do you have any nieces or nephews and what do you enjoy doing with them ah such a hard question I have got a niece or nephew that is due to be born in April so I'm hopefully going to be an aunt I'm so excited I haven't met them yet but if they are watching this in the future I'm so excited to meet you 54. are you in a relationship or married and how did you meet your partner yes I am married to my husband will who is doing a very good job of reading out these questions to me hi everyone and we met at Young Farmers club which is a very British rural teenager social club which is just as cool as it sounds but if you get a husband out of it it's totally worth going to 55. do you have any children and what do you enjoy most about being a parent I don't have any children um so I can't really answer that question but I hope to do 56.

what's one challenge you've faced in a past relationship and how did you overcome it being unsuitable for each other and leaving 57 what's one piece of relationship advice you'd give to someone in a new relationship infatuation is very different toy both in different ways 58. have you ever been on a memorable or interesting date and what happened once I went on a date with a guy and he asked me what I wanted to drink and I said please could I have a gin and tonic and the barman said normal or Slimline and the guy looked me up and down and said Slimline and it wasn't a joke he was weird 59 do you have a best friend and what's one thing you love about them I have two best friends um and I love them in different ways I've got my friend Ellie I have loads of history with her we've known each other since we were born basically and my friend Felicity is someone I see sporadically but when we get together it's like no time has passed at all 60. what's one memorable family holiday or trip you've taken together so growing up my grandparents had a little apartment in the south of Portugal they used to hibernate there in the winter and play golf and we went there every summer as a family and I hadn't been back there for seven years and I went back last year with my husband and my parents and it was amazing to be in my childhood holiday location and to have my husband I just I felt like a child and an adult all at once it was a crazy crazy experience the seventh topic current events Small Talk questions question 61 have you been following any interesting news stories lately and what are your thoughts on them one big news story in the UK recently was about a woman that went missing called Nicola bully and I found that really really scary and and fascinating to watch at the same time 62.

what's your opinion on the current political climate or social issues oh question three have you had any new technology or gadgets recently and what's your review of them I have been playing around with chat 64. what's one recent scientific discovery or breakthrough that caught your attention to the development of artificial intelligence I I feel that we are at a Turning Point 65. have you been following any sports news and what teams or athletes do you support uh not really I mean the Six Nations is going on and my husband talks a lot about it but I can't say that sport really interests me too much 66.

what's your opinion on the latest celebrity gossip or news I used to follow a lot of celebrity gossip and news I just don't find it as interesting anymore but I do really like seeing beautiful dresses on the red carpet 67. what's your take on the current state of the economy or job market I'm really worried about the economy at the moment we have huge inflation food is really expensive fuel is really expensive it costs a lot to heat your home in the job market I've heard rumors that people are taking a little bit more control and not accepting as low pay and I'm I'm really for that 68. have you discovered any interesting books podcasts or other media lately and what did you like about them there are two podcasts that I've been enjoying recently and they are by two British newspapers that are leaning to the left and the right so I get both sides of the same story really one is stories of our Times by the Sunday Times the other is today in focus by the guardian and it's really interesting to hear them both cover the same story but in slightly different ways 69.

what's your opinion on climate change and what actions do you think we can take to combat it I feel frustrated by climate change because there are these huge corporations making so much of a negative impact that sometimes as one human I feel quite insignificant but I'm really really making an effort to take more control over what I can do to improve climate change 70. have you been following any recent cultural Trends or movements and what's your take on them I have been interested in the anti-work OR anti-work movement I like using Reddit and I've seen some things on that Reddit sub forum and I find them really interesting that people are suddenly sticking it to the Man eighth topic personal Small Talk questions question 71 where did you grow up and what was it like I grew up in a tiny village in bedfordshire and it was a very happy childhood very rural in the countryside lots of playing in the garden 72 what's one childhood memory that stands out to you and why I remember waking up it must have been my seventh birthday I think and my parents had put a trampoline in the garden and I kid you not I spent every waking hour on that trampoline I absolutely loved it 73. what was your relationship like with your sibling when you were both growing up well it was funny because I was five years older than George that's a big gap when one is two and one is six or and one is ten and one is 14.

so we weren't so close as children it's only now we're adults that we are really close 74. what's the best thing that's ever happened to you and how did it make you feel getting married I just felt high on life I was so unbelievably happy I got to marry the man of my dreams and be surrounded by everyone I loved and it was just after covid so it was the first time I'd seen so many people in over two years 75 what's one challenge or obstacle you've faced in your life and how did you overcome it I was really ill as a teenager from the age of 14 to 16 I had glandular fever and then a weird post-viral chronic fatigue thing and it wiped me out and it was a rubbish time and I was very depressed it's such a blur that I don't even know how I overcame it I just know that I had a lot of support from my family 76. do you have any personal goals or aspirations that you're working towards oh a big goal is to have a happy family with a couple of children 77 what's one thing you're proud of or accomplished recently outside of work I've made some pretty big Charity donations this year that I'm personally very proud of I think 78 who's one person that's influenced or inspired you and how have they impacted your life my dad because he's so supportive so kind so encouraging and that's how I hope to be 79 what's one thing you've done for someone else recently and how did it make you feel I helped someone very close with me achieve something they've wanted to do for a long time and it made me feel really good and that's always 80.

what's one thing you've learned in life that's helped you grow or become a better person not everyone is going to like you and that is okay nice topic technology Small Talk questions question 81 what's one technology or Gadget you can't live without and why oh it has to be my phone so much of what I do is done on my phone 82. have you tried any new apps software or devices recently and what's your review of them I've started wearing an Apple Watch and I found it really good although the battery life is terrible 83. do you prefer Apple or Android products and why I prefer Apple products I think they are really user friendly and unfortunately I love the way they all connect with each other 84.

have you ever built or customized a computer or device and how did it turn out no I've never done that I would be interested in learning though 85. what's one recent technological advancement or development that you find interesting AI definitely out of something amazing this is the worst it's ever going to be it's only going to get better and I feel you have to keep up or get left behind 86. have you tried virtual reality or augmented reality and what's your experience like I have very briefly at another amazing I'd love to explore it more 87.

what's one useful app or tool you use regularly and how does it help you I use an app cycle and it helped it helps me understand why I'm feeling rubbish some days 88. do you think technology has more positive or negative effects on our lives and why I would say in the grand scheme of things positive there are lots of negative Parts but definitely for medical advancements positive 89. what's one technological issue or challenge that you wish could be solved my internet connection please I can't believe it's 2023 and in rural parts of the UK you still can't get solid reliable internet 90.

do you have any tips or recommendations for staying safe and secure online don't trust there are so many scammers if it sounds too good to be true it probably is 10th topic lifestyle Small Talk questions question 91 what's your typical daily routine and how do you make the most of your time we normally wake up at around 6 30 I nearly always have porridge for breakfast lunch between midday and 1 and dinner between six and eight that's a bit random and I make the most of my time by trying to get as much done in the morning as possible 92. do you prefer to stay in or go out and what do you enjoy doing during your free time oh I could balance of Dale if I love going out on the weekends and staying in during the week 93. what's one activity or hobby you find most relaxing or stress relieving I don't know if it's a hobby it's an activity but taking a bath and especially a bath with a view I have a bath near a window and sometimes there are sheep in the field and it's just lovely 94.

do you have any daily rituals or habits that you swear by I have a coffee in bed every morning and I love that I love that little 20 minute period of waking up having a coffee I know lots of people say you shouldn't have it first thing in the morning but it works for me and it makes me feel good 95. what do you typically have for lunch I normally have soup in the winter or a salad in the summer 96. what's one way you like to stay active or healthy and how has it benefited you well we love walking our dog so we walk in for at least an hour every day I also have a stationary bike and a treadmill which is great for winter because I don't have to go outside when it's cold 97.